


Cherry Blossom Dreams

by junko



Series: Curse of the Nue [32]
Category: Bleach
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-20
Updated: 2012-09-20
Packaged: 2017-11-14 16:36:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/517363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junko/pseuds/junko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Byakuya daydreams of Renji; Renji has a nightmare about Byakuya...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cherry Blossom Dreams

Listening to the Third Seat give his report, Byakuya realized something important about himself. He might say that he preferred well-behaved, uniform, and deferential officers, but it was a lie. Obedience was, in point of fact, boring. 

It didn’t help matters that this young man couldn’t be more undistinguished and unremarkable. Nothing about him stood out. He had dark hair cut to regulation length. There was no noticeable fire in his brown eyes, and he wore the standard shinigami uniform without personal embellishments. In fact, despite his high rank, Byakuya was having trouble remembering the Third’s name. He couldn’t even get a much of read on the young man’s zanpaktō.

The difference between the Third and Renji Abarai was startling. So many things came to mind when Byakuya thought about Renji—the amazing color of his hair, the tattoos, the constant, growling presence of Zabimaru always rumbling just under the surface of his powerful reistsu. His restless energy, that hard, lean body….

“Did you hear me, Taicho? An agent of the Ritei-Tai personally delivered a message to inform us that Captain Aizen is dead—murdered, apparently.”

Byakuya blinked away his daydream about his lieutenant. “The messenger division was deployed? Does that mean that Aizen was killed outside of the line of duty? That someone besides the ryoka is responsible?”

“That’s unknown, sir. Uh, though, I guess he was stabbed with his own zanpaktō and left hanging on the wall.”

“That’s rather gruesome,” Byakuya agreed. “Seems outside of what you might expect from a chaotic band of invaders. It seems personal, to leave him like that as some kind of example.” Was the mystery of Aizen’s plans unraveling? Who would gain from silencing him? “And, who would have the skill to relieve a captain of his own zanpaktō in such a way?”

“I don’t know, sir.”

“And speculation? The rumor mill? What do they say?”

“Uh, I don’t know, sir.”

Byakuya frowned. Renji wouldn’t have even come with a report until he’d put an ear to the ground and gathered all the gossip from the other lieutenants. The Third looked nervous, like he knew he’d screwed up. Byakuya waved off his concerned look, “Never mind that. What do _you_ think?” 

“I have no idea who would want to kill Captain Aizen. He always seemed nice to me,” the Third said, helplessly. 

“Nice?” Byakuya said, startled, “Really? What in your experience makes you say that?”

“You don’t think he’s nice?” The Third seemed really surprised by that. 

“I didn’t necessarily say that. I’m merely intrigued to hear you say so. You’ve been with me at since graduation from Academy. What about Captain Aizen do you find so ‘nice’?”

“Uh… well, some of the guys I know over at the Fifth say he’s really fair, almost lenient sometimes. Plus, I guess he takes an active interest—you know, he’s really sociable, hangs out with the rank and file, is easy-going, relaxed.…” the Third trailed off awkwardly.

“I see.” Byakuya nodded. He could just imagine how this conversation had gone. The Third, no doubt, had been complaining to his friends about Byakuya--his strictness, aloofness, and rigid requirements. “I’m sure he will be missed, then,” Byakuya said insincerely. “We shall have to extend our condolences.”

“Sir?”

Byakuya sighed. He’d meant it as a sort of joke, but it was one only Renji, who shared his distrust of Aizen, would have caught. Still, it gave him an idea. “Yes, I should meet with the, no doubt, deeply bereaved Captain Ichimaru. Contact his adjutant and arrange my visit to their division.”

“Lieutenant Kira is in jail, sir,” the Third said. “I guess he got into a scuffle with Lieutenant Hinamori at the scene. She attacked Captain Ichimaru and Kira stepped in between them.”

Byakuya waited, expecting more to this story. When it wasn’t forthcoming, Byakuya said, “I’m sorry, why is Lieutenant Kira in the guardhouse? Wasn’t he doing his duty to his captain?”

“Yeah, I’d think so too, sir,” the Third agreed, finally relaxing a bit into the conversation. “That part does seem odd, especially since the order to imprison both lieutenants seems to have been issued by the Tenth Division’s captain, Hitsugaya. It’s his joint orders with the Captain-Commander that activated the Secret Remote Unit with their message about Aizen’s death, too.”

“Indeed?” If Histugaya found a way to lock up both the lieutenants of the Third and Fifth, then they must be on the scent of the very same secret. “Sounds like it was quite the mess at the scene,” Byakuya said, standing up. “Very well. First, I want the guard doubled on Lieutenant Abarai during his recovery. Second, I will be away from the Division for rest of the afternoon making social calls and extending our sympathies to those grieving the loss of such a fine captain. You have the Sixth.”

The Third snapped to attention, “Yes, sir!”

#

Renji’s dreams of chasing Zabimaru continued. As frustrating as it was to always be one step behind the nue, it was worse when the dream shifted. Now Ichigo not only stood in his way, but he also held Zabimaru instead of that oversized zanpaktō of his. They started grappling, and Ichigo turned into Byakuya. Renji woke up with a start when he felt the fanged tooth of Zabimaru—or was it a cherry blossom?--slice his shoulder.

“Damn it!” Seventh Seat Kinjo shouted, “I knew this was going to happen. Goddamn it, Abarai, get off of there.”

Renji’s eyes cracked open to find himself face down on the cot they’d laid Zabimaru out on. Several sets of hands were on him, trying to lift him off, but the jagged, broken edges of his blade had caught on bandages and hakama. Renji tried to help by putting his hands underneath for support, but his arms were numb from the position he’d slept in and the ever constant manacles. He did manage to get his knees up, and, with effort and several tearing rips of bandages, he finally came free from Zabimaru.

As they maneuvered him awkwardly over to his own cot, Renji said, with a proud grin for Zabimaru, “Still in shikai. That’s my boy.”

Kinjo frowned down at Renji, his purple tinted hair spikier and messier looking than usual. “What the hell were you doing over there anyway? Humping your sword?”

“Can’t be too picky in prison, can I?”

Kinjo snorted, but shook his head fondly. He crouched down beside Renji, while some of the others helped rearrange Renji back into bed. “I heard you redheads were easy, but—damn. You must be feeling better, though, eh, lieutenant? You somehow dragged that sorry ass of yours two whole feet across the room without any help, and now you’re cracking wise. Almost ready to get back in the fight, I figure.”

Something had changed again. Last time they’d talked Kinjo had called him a yellow-bellied deserter, “Who you calling lieutenant?”

“You, you big idiot,” Kinjo said. “The Captain-Commander himself called for your reinstatement.”

Renji knew he should have been overjoyed, but he frowned. This was an unexpected turn of events, “Over the captain’s head? Byakuya must be shitting bricks.”

“I’m guessing that’s part of why you’re still in handcuffs. Oh yeah, and he doubled the guard.”

After the failed midnight kiss, too. “Nice.”

“Well,” Kinjo said, patting Renji lightly on the newly injured shoulder, as he got up to leave. “At least he thinks you’re worth it.”

Cold comfort, Renji thought ruefully. 

“Look,” Kinjo said, as he slid the door shut. “I still don’t understand why you did what you did, but if the Captain-Commander is willing to forgive and forget, so am I.”

Renji nodded thankfully, but from what Kinjo implied the fight was still raging. Who knew what the Captain-Commander was thinking? Perhaps the reinstatement wasn’t so much an offer of forgiveness, but a testimony to the fact that they needed every able body back in the battle. Besides, Renji might have his commission back, but that was different than winning the hearts and minds of the Division that thought he’d abandoned them. That still seemed like an insurmountable and impossible task.

Especially with Byakuya standing in his way. 

Besides, he might not have been a traitor when he left to fight Ichigo, but he’d begged that boy to free Rukia. 

He’d picked his side, and it wasn’t the Gotei 13.

Not anymore.

#

Lieutenant Matsumoto’s protectiveness of her captain reminded Byakuya of the way Renji was with him. However, it was profoundly irritating. “This matter doesn’t involve you, lieutenant,” Byakuya said, shouldering past her to enter the Tenth Division barracks.

She flash stepped in front of him. He was forced to stop short or collide with her. “Haven’t you caused enough trouble already, Captain?”

“I fail to understand your implication, lieutenant,” Byakuya said, though he was sure she was angry at him for having dismissed Renji. “I merely wish to discuss certain things privately with your captain, a privilege I believe I am allowed.”

She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, as if considering what to say. At that moment, the young Captain Hitsugaya leaned over the railing of the second floor portico. “Byakuya? What are you doing here?”

“If I might have a moment of your time, Captain? I believe we may have pieces of the same puzzle.”

Hitsugaya frowned, looking like a grumpy child despite the spiky white hair. Then he barked, “Get out of his way, Masumoto!” 

Byakuya could hear her quiet, petulant whine, “Aw,” before she said, “Yes, sir!”

#

“You mean they’re not working together?” Byakuya frowned. They'd been talking for some time already, while sitting on the floor of the young captain’s office. Rather than make Byakuya sit or stand like a subordinate on the opposite side of Hitsugaya’s desk, Hitsugaya had directed them to a pile of cushions in the corner of the large office that he seemed to share with his lieutenant. Her paperwork was piled all around a nearby couch, and the young captain seemed to use this corner to read… graphic novels.

“I overheard Ichimaru threaten Aizen. I think he did it. That creep offed Aizen,” Histugaya’s turquoise eyes flashed as he spoke. He certainly had conviction, but, like Byakuya, he had no real proof.

Byakuya sat further back against his heels and considered. “Well, that doesn’t negate my theory, necessarily. It simply means that perhaps Ichimaru has decided to cover all his tracks. Including those of his co-conspirator.”

“And you think this has something to do with your sister, Rukia?”

“I do,” Byakuya said. “Kira, Hinamori, and my lieutenant all served under Aizen and Ichimaru. They are all currently in jail for various acts of insubordination. I don’t know how Rukia connects to the others, but, perhaps Renji is the focal point here, after all. If there was a cover up that caused Renji’s transfer out of the Fifth and it involved Rukia, it is possible that those two know something about it, too.”

“I don’t know,” Histugaya said. He sat cross-legged, and set his hands on his knees. “Maybe. Momo seemed pretty sure Ichimaru was guilty of something. But, why would Kira step-up if he knew about it too? Why wouldn’t he just let Ichimaru go down?”

“Why would any lieutenant place himself between his captain and danger? Clearly, he’s decided his duty comes first.”

Histugaya gave Byakuya a long look out of the corner of his eye, as if wondering if he was joking or not. Finally, he shook his head. “Or Kira might have been trying to protect Momo, honestly. Ichimaru’s ruthless.” Histugaya’s fingers tapped restlessly against one knee. “Kira’s been looking like shit lately, too.”

Byakuya nodded. “Yes, it’s clear to me, as well, that Kira suffers under his captain. This secret, whatever it is, must be a difficult thing to bear. It drove Renji to attack Ichimaru when he was unseated, and, now, it appears to be eating away at Lieutenant Kira.”

“So we just need to figure out what this secret is, and who else might be involved,” Histugaya said.

“I agree,” Byakuya said, with a nod, he started to get to his feet. “For my part, I’ll see what Rukia will tell me if I press her directly.”

Histugaya scrambled up. “How will you get into Senaikyû Shishinrô?”

“The Fourth Division has a key. Captain Unohana is our ally in this matter.”

#

But the key had been stolen. Byakuya made his way to the white tower intending to intercept whoever was after Rukia. He prayed that he wasn’t too late, and that he could catch Ichimaru in the act so they could put proof to all these speculation and theories.

He did not expect to find that Shiba buffoon or to be interfered with by not only Ichigo Kurosaki himself, but also Captain Ukitake. No… the worst had been the seeing the Lady Yoruichi, after all this time—looking the same, still playing the same games.

When Byakuya walked away, Ukitake asked him what he was doing. He’d said he’d “lost interest,” but he was hoping that Ukitake would take the hint and run off with Rukia, the way Yoruichi had with Ichigo Kurosaki. Ukitake was Rukia’s captain— he must feel responsible for Rukia’s safety, and if anyone could get away with treason, it would be Ukitake, the Captain-Commander’s golden boy. 

But, it seemed Byakuya had been thwarted at every turn. Not only had he been unable to talk to Rukia about the secret she harbored, but also Ukitake had dutifully returned her to her prison.

Damn it all.


End file.
